A New Beginning
by Amelia Rose22
Summary: IYxYYH Kagome returns home for good after the final battle and meets some new friends. KagxHiei YusxKeiko KuwaxYukina hint of KurxBot Rate M for later chapters and Yusukes mouth.XXOn Hold. See bio.XX
1. Chapter 1

"OGRE, get in here and get me Botan," a toddler yelled from behind his desk.

"What is it, Prince Koenma," a bubbly blue-haired girl in a pink kimono asked as she came running into the room alongside a blue-skinned ogre wearing a leopard print loincloth.

"This is bad. Very bad," Koenma moaned with his head in his hands.

"What is it, Prince Koenma, sir," the ogre asked, "Has your father done something?"  
"I wouldn't be this worried, Ogre, if my father did anything," Koenma yelled, "It's the Lord of the West. He's demanding things that I simply cannot do."

"Like what?"

"He wants to visit the human realm. And if he can't do that then he wants one specific human brought to him," Koenma said with a much put upon sigh.

"Who does he want?"

"One Higurashi Kagome. He says that it is important that he see her. What I want to know is how he knows her if he's been in the Makai for the past 500 years."

"Why don't you send one of the boys with her," Botan said.

"They need information on her first," Koenma siad to himself, "Botan, tell Yusuke and the others that they have a new mission. They're going to be getting close to that girl. All four of them. Ogre, give Botan all the information we have on her."

"Yes, Prince Koenma," they said before leaving the room.

"I hope I did the right thing," Koenma said to himself before turning back to the papers that were on his desk.

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All right, folks. I so totally didn't like the first part of this chapter. It just didn't flow all that well to me. Anyways the total word count is 308. See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

"Conversation"

_'Thoughts'_

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"InuYasha, please stop," Kagome said, "We're tired and hungry and we need a break."

"Feh, you're all weak," InuYasha said, folding his arms and standing in the middle of the road.

"Oh, come off it, InuYasha. We deserve a break. Naraku is dead so there really isn't that much of a rush. Besides, what has gotten into you today? You've never been like this even when we were shard hunting," Kagome said as she followed the rest of the gourp to sit beneath a tree that was near the road and pulling out some quick snacks from her yellow backpack.

"There is nothing wrong with me, wench," he said, sitting down next to her and refusing the snacks she offered.

"Then why are you acting like this," Kagome asked, ignoring his name calling for the moment, "You've never been in this big of a hurry to go home. You're usually trying to get me to stay longer and now you're in a hurry to get me home. Why?"

"Do I have to have a reason for everything I do," InuYasha said, angrily, "You're the one that wants to go home."

"He's obviously not going to tell you, Kagome," Miroku said clamly from his spot next to Sango, "So you might as well leave him be."  
"I guess you're right, Miroku," Kagome said with a sigh, _'With InuYasha acting like this, something must be wrong. I think that I'll be careful and keep my senses open. With the jewel finally complete there's going to be a lot of demons coming after it.'_

After a few more minutes of peace, InuYasha's impatience got the better of him and he leapt to his feet and said, "All right. You've had a long enough of a break. Let's go."

Everyone got up with few grumblings about impatient hanyous and returned to the road. Sango and Kagome were walking together with Shippo and Kilala on their shoulders while InuYasha and Miroku walked ahead of them.

They reached Kaede's village b y midafternoon and were surprised to see that the whole village had come out to greet them. It seems that the villagers had spent the whole day preparing a feast for the defeaters of Naraku. They were immediately taken to the center of the village, where the feast and party were to take place. They were all tired but enjoyed the party.

Kagome, Shippo and Sango were surprised to see Miroku refraining from groping or propositioning any of the girls that were at the party. About halfway through the celebration, Miroku asks Sango, "My dearest Sango, will you do me the honor of being my wife and bearing my children?"

Sango, and everyone in hearing distance, were shocked. After a moment, in which Miroku worried fiercely about her answer, Sango smiled widely and with her eyes shining with joy, said, "It would be an honor, Miroku."

And with a loud whoop of joy, Miroku grabbed the grinning taiyja and kissed her soundly. A loud cheer went up as those villagers that were close to the couple spread the news.

Kagome and Shippo weren't surprised while InuYasha didn't seem to care as he kept looking ot the forest that surrounded the vullage. Kagome noticed his distraction and where his attention kept turning to every few minutes. Taking a guess as to why he was distracted, Kagome walked over to where he was sitting, with Shippo on her shoulders. As she sat down next to him, she said, "Don't worry, InuYasha. I'm sure that she'll be there. If you'll let me say goodbye to everyone, you can take me back home."

"And what about the jewel," he asked, not looking at the girl.

"I'm pretty sure that she's waiting for us at the well," Kagome said, getting up, not noticing that Shippo was no longer on her shoulders, "I'll make the wish there."

And with that said, she left the hanyou to his thoughts and went to find Lady Kaede, who handed her a bow and a quiver of arrows that looked similar to the ones Kikyo had used. After accepting the gift with a hug, she left the older miko and headed towards Miroku and Sango. Once she had reached them, she congradualted them on their upcoming marriage and infomred them that she was leaving. They were saddened but seemed to be proepared because they both handed her their parting gifts. Sango's gift turned out to be a taiyja outfit similar to her own except that it was green instead of pink. Miroku's gift was a glove and a set of beads that were exactly like the one he wore. She accepted the gifts with a hug to both of them before she headed towards Kaede's hut, where she had left her bag.

As she entered the building, InuYasha left his spot and stood outside, waiting for her to come back out. She came back out a few minutes later, settling her backpack on her shoulders and giving him a sad smile. His heart tightened at the smile but he eased the tightness by thinking of how safe she would be once she got back to her own time. They walked to the well in silence, where they found someone waiting for them.

"Hello, Kikyo, Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome said, as they neared the well, "You're here for my soul and InuYasha, right?"

"I will not allow that to happen, Imouto," Sesshomaru said looking over at the undead miko.

"Please trust me on this, Sessho," Kagome pleaded, setting her bag down in front of the well and withdrawing the completed jewel from under her shirt.

"Very well," he answered relaxing slightly though you couldn't really tell.

"Thank you," she said before turning to Kikyo, "I have an idea, Kikyo. Let me make a wish that will make things as they were supposed to be."

"Why?"

"Because it wasn't fair to you or InuYasha thay you had to suffer so much at the hands of Naraku," Kagome said, closing her eyes and bowing her head over the jewel.

After a few minutes a bright light surrounded the two as the jewel rose form Kagome's hand an dflew back into her side. When the light had faded InuYasha and Kikyo found that they were now full-blooded dog-demons. They looked at each other for a moment before turning to look at the himan girl who had just made it possible for them to regain the time they had lost to Naraku. They found the girl leaning against Sesshomaru holding her side where blood was beginning to stain her shirt.

"Are you alright, Kagome," Kikyo asked calmly nearing the injured girl.

"Yeah. It seems that the wish wasn't enough. I guess I'm still the gaurdian of the shikon jewel," Kagome said with a sigh.

"Imouto, we need to get your injury taken care of," Sesshomaru said carefully.

"I'll be fine, Sessho," Kagome said, as she lifted her backpack onto her shoulders once again, "Remember, my time has medicines that will be better than the ones I can get here."

"Very well, Kagome," Sesshomaru said, lifting the girl over the edge of the well, "Remember to look for us when you get back."

"I will, Sessho," Kagome said with a sad smile, "Do me a favor and try to get along with InuYasha while I'm gone? I'd hate to find out that you killed him before we met up again."

"Now that he is no longer a hanyou that will not be a problem," Sesshomaru said with a smirk.

"I'll see you later then, neesan," Kagome said, before Sesshomaru let her go and watched as she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Dammit, Botan, it's three in the fucking morning," a black-haired, brown-eyed tennage boy said angrily, pacing on the roof of his apartment building.

"Sorry, Yusuke, but this is important. It couldn't wait," Botan said apologetically as she floated on her oar.

"So what is so important the you had to wake me from a sound sleep," Yusuke said, shoving his hands into his pockets and glaring at the girl.

"We need you to get close to someone. She's been transferred to your school a few days ago because she's been so sick. Her name is Higurashi Kagome and she lives at Sunset Shrine. Hiei is already over there watching the place. I'm going to tell the other two after I get done with you," Botan said.

"What the hell does that damn toddler want with Kagome," Yusuke said glaring even harder at the reaper.

"You know her," she stuttered in surprise.

"Yeah. She's my cousin," Yusuke said still glaring, "Now tell me what Koenma wants with Kagome."  
"One of the Demon Lords wants to meet with her. He wants to either come here or have her go to him," Botan said, cheerfully, at odds with the seriousness of what she was saying.

"How the hell would she know a demon?"

"We don't know. She's a bit of a mystery to us. She's disappeared from our radar every now and then. We have no idea where she goes when she does disappear," Botan answered mysteriously.

"Is it possible for me to tell her about my job," Yusuke asked thoughtfully.

"I don't see why not. If this demon knows her, then it is highly possible that she already knows about demons," Botan said with a shrug.

"Thanks, Botan," Yusuke said as he turned to the stairwell, "I'm going back to bed. Tell the others to meet me at the shrine. I'll introduce everyone at once."  
"Sure," Botan said with a smile as she left the rooftop.

_'This is going to be interesting,'_ Yusuke thought as he descended the stairs.

Hiei stood on a limb of the God Tree, angry at the reaper for disturbing his rest and sending him here. He didn't see what was so important about the girl. As he stood there in the tree, bored out of his mind and thinking of what he could do to alleviate his boredom, he saw a blue flash of light in one of the outer buildings. Curious, he jumped over to the roof and waited.

A few minutes later the door slid open and a teenage girl, carrying a yellow backpack, left the building. Hiei could clearly smell the blood that was mixed in with her scent and the scent of a kitsune. Raising an eyebrow at the scents he watched as the girl walked to the house and found the door to be locked. After a few minutes of searching the girl gave up on finding the key and walked to the tree that grew next to the house. Hiei watched as she proceeded to climb the tree quickly and opened the window to what he assumed was her room. Jumping over to the tree, Hiei was surprised as he watched her empty her backpack.

Upon opening her backpack, the fist thing Kagome saw was that Shippo was sleeping on top of her clothes. Smiling at the kit, Kagome gently picked him up and gently placed him on her bed. After covering him up, she watched him relax as her own unique scent soothed him. She continued to watch him sleep for a few minutes more before going back to her backpack. Out came the clothes, textbooks, papers, pens, pensils, cookware, eating utensils, weapons, and unused ramen packets. Each item that left the backpack went to their proper places and if none could be found they were set aside, to be put away at a later time.

The very last thing that came out of her backpack wa her first aid kit. With a sigh, Kagome went across the hall to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth and towel. Going back to her room, Kagome took off her shirt and cleaned the blood off her side. Opening her kit at her desk, she examined the half-healed wound.

"At least the bleeding has stopped," she said softly as she took an alcohol swab to steralize the wound with a small hiss at the sting.

After making sure that it was steralized, Kagome taped a piece of gauze over the wound to keep germs and such from it. After taking a look at her bandaged arms, legs, and back, Kagome decided to wait until her mother was awake before changing them. Deciding that the rest could wait until after she got some rest, Kagome changed into her favorite pair of pajamas. Making sure not to wake her kit, Kagome climbed into the bed and curled around him, falling asleep quickly, never knowing that she had a watcher.

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All right, folks. Chapter 2 has been revised. I didn't realize until I had reread it that I had completely forgotten about Sesshomaru! He was so not happy with me. But I fixed it. Not much of a change besides that. Total words 2156. Wow!


	3. Chapter 3

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

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The next day Kagome woke up to her kit bouncing up and down on her bed excitedly. With a smile gracing her features\, Kagome sat up and caught the bouncing child and said, "Good morning, Shippo. How long have you been awake?"  
"A long time, Mama," Shippo said with a huge grin.

"Really? Have met Souta, Mama, and Gramps, yet," Kagome asked, getting up and going to her closet.

"Just grandma," Shippo said, watching her, "She gave me something to eat."

"That's good, then," she said slippin on a loss pair of jeans and shirt.

After brushing her hair and making her bed, Kagome gathered Shippo up into her arms and went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mama," Kagome said as she entered the room.

"Good morning, Kagome," Kun-Loon said turning from the stove, where she was fixing breakfast, "What time did you get in last night?"  
"Around three, I think," she said, going to one of the cupboards and getting dishes out to set the table, after setting Shippo in one of the chairs, "You don't have to worry about me going to the past anymore. Naraku has been defeated and the Shikon Jewel is whole again."

"That's good to hear, Kagome," Kun-Loon said, happy that her daughter could finally live a normal life, "I take it that you are unable to make anymore trips to the past anymore."

"Yes. The well won't work anymore, so Shippo's staying here with me," Kagome said, putting the dishes in their proper spots on the table.

"He said that you were his mother."

"I adopted him a while back, don't you remember? I could've sworn that I told you," Kagome said with a frown.

"That's right. I remember now," Kun-Loon said, turning away from the stove with food in hand, "I have some bad news for you, Kagome."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Your school called a few days ago. They transferred your records to SariYashki High School because of your gradws and attendance," she said after calling for Souta and Grandpa for the breakfast meal.

"Oh. I thought that might happen. Do you have my new uniform," Kagome asked as she sat down next to Shippo.

"Yes. It should be in your closet," her mother said, sitting at the head of the table.

"Okay. Could you come upstairs with me after breakfast?"

"Certainly."

After the excited greetings of her brother and grandfather, Kagome introduced Shippo to them. She made sure to tell her grandfather not to try to exorcise Shippo because he was now a part of the family. After much grumbling, he complied and they enjoyed their morning meal.

"Hey, guys," Yusuke said as he neared a tall orange-haired boy and a red-haired boy of medium heigth.

"Hello, Yusuke," the red head answered.

"Why do we need to be here on a Saturday, Urameshi," the taller one said angrily.

"Calm down, Kuwabara," the red head said calmly, "I'm sure Yusuke will tell us shortly."

"Hiei still up there, Kurama," Yusuke asked ignoring Kuwabara for the moment.

"Yes," the red head said, "He's been watching her all morning."

"Good. Now first things first. Kagome is my cousin. Second, let me do the talking. Third, no hitting on her," Yusuke said with a sharp glare at Kuwabara as he turned to walk up the steps.

"Of course, Yusuke," Kurama said following after the dark-haired teen as Kuwabara brought up the rear.

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_C_hapter 3 is revised, folks. Very little if anything has changed. Total words 590.


	4. Chapter 4

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

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Kagome and her mother were upstairs in her room as Yusuke and his friends made their way up the steps of the shrine. Kagome sat on her bed as Kun-Loon stood behind her unwapping the bandages that covered her back.

"You know, Kagome, I am so happy that your quest is over. Now I don't have to worry so much," Kun-Loon said as the last of the bandages that covered her daughter's back came off.

"I'm sorry, Mama. I didn't mean for you to worry so much," Kagome said, looking over her shoulder to look at her mother, "So how is it?"  
"Well, my dear, you have another set of scars to compliment all the others," Kun-Loon said applying a salve to her daughter's back to keep the scars flexible.

"I guess that means no backless dress until I get my glamour right, huh," Kagome said with a sigh, "Not that I have any to wear in the first place."

"It'll be fine, Kagome, don't worry," Kun-Loon said, moving to stand in fron of her daughter, "Now let's take a look at the rest of these wounds of yours, shall we?"  
Five minutes later the doorbell rang and they heard Souta yell, :I'll get it!"

Kagome and Kun-Loon were just finishing unwrapping the bandages when they heard Souta yell, "Yusuke!" just before a loud crash.

"Well, it seems your cousin is here," Kun-Loon said with a chuckle, "I better go save him from Souta. The only one that I think still needs to be bandaged is the one in your side. Go ahead and change. I'll keep him distracted till you come down."

"Thanks, Mama," Kagome said with a smile as she got another piece of gauze and some tape from the first aid kit.

After it was bandaged, Kagome went to her closet and pulled out a pair of hip-huggers and an oversize button-up shirt. After pulling them on, she headed downstairs with Shippo in her arms.

Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei were sitting in the living room with Souta talking their ears off. You could tell by the twitch in Hiei's eye and the way that his hand hovered that he really over the hilt of his sword that he wanted to get Souta to shut up. Before they could do anything to get Souta to be quiet beofre Hiei did anything drastic, they noticed that was staring at the staircase with a curious look in his eyes.

When they looked over, they saw that Kagome was descending the stairs. Kagome herself wasn't what drew their attention. It was the demon kit that she carried in her arms. She paused for a moment on the last step looking at the four boys with curiousity and wariness evident in her eyes before entering the room saying, "You've talked their ears off long enough, twerp. Why don't you take Shippo outside and show him around, okay?"

"C'mon, Sis," Souta whined, the sound grating on the demon's ears, "I haven't seen Yusuke in like forever."

"Just do it, Souta," Kagome said, a little harshly in response. Then, her tone softening slightly, "We're going to be talking about things you hardly know about. You'll be bored out of your mind and so will Shippo."  
"Oh. You mean that stuff," Souta said, comprehension dawning on his face, "C'mon, Shippo. I'll show you some real good spots."

As they left Kagome sighed, the four boys wondering what they were talking about. Before they could ask, Kagome turned to Yusuke and said, "It's been awhile, Yusuke. Must be terribly important. Why don't you introduce your friends first, though, before you start."

"Uh, sure, Kags," Yusuke said looking at her curiously, "The red-head is Kurama, the tall one is Kuwabara, and the one by the window is Hiei. What was that you were carrying, Kagome?"  
"That was Shippo. He's a kitsune kit," Kagome said as she sat down across from the boys.

"Well, I guess that answers that question," Yusuke said with a sigh, "So how did you meet Shippo?"

"That's a long story, Yusuke," Kagome siad curling her legs under her and getting comfortable, "I'll tell you only if you tell me how you became a demon and know two other demons."

"Sure. I guess," Yusuke said clearly surprised at her words, "It started when I was fourteen when I got ran over by a car saving a little kid..."

(A/N: It's way too long to tell here. If you have any questions about it, e-mail me and I'll try to explain)

"...And the Makai tournament goes on every year. I haven't participated since then."

"I'm not sure if yours compares to mine," Kagome said with a slight frown, "My story started on my fifteenth birthday when Buyo was in the wellhouse..."

(A/N: Again, not writing it all down. If you're still confused let me know.)

"...Naraku was defeated and I made a wish on the jewel to give InuYasha and Kikyo another chance together," Kagome said, gazing sadly at her lap, unaware of the looks the boys were sending each other.

"You're right," Kurama said after a moment trying to cheer her up, "I think that I would rather have travelled with you. It sound sas if you guys had a lot of fun."

"Well, at least I don't have to deal with rude hanyous anymore," Kagome said, trying to look on the bright side of things.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Why not, Kurama?"

"I'm afraid that you'll be dealing with us quite frequently," Kurama siad.

"Why," Kagome asked looking at the four of them.

"It seems that a Demon Lord wants to see you," Hiei said, surprising the others, "Apparently Koenma thinks that you need the protection."

"Hmph. Did he tell you who it was that wanted to see me," Kagome asked.

"No," Yusuke said with a shrug, "He did tell us that you were going to be going to my school fom now on though."

"Yeah. I spent way too much time in the past," Kagome said with a sigh.

"We'll stop by tomorrow and show you around," Yusuke said, getting up, "Hiei is going to stay here, if you don't mind, Kagome. Koenma wants to make sure that you're protected."

"He's going to be around whether I agree or not, isn't he," Kagome said with a shrug, "So it doesn't really matter if I mind or not, does it?"  
"Sorry, Kags," Yusuke said.

"It's not your fault, Yusuke. And I don't mind, really," Kagome said with a small smile as she got up.

"Thanks, Kagome. See you tomorrow," Yusuke said as he followed Kuwabara and Kurama out of the house.

"See you tomorrow," Kagome said, closing the door and returning to the living room where Hiei was still sitting on the windowsill, "C'mon, Hiei. I'd better introduce you to my family. Be careful of Gramps. He'll try to exorcise you, though his ofudas don't work."

"I should probably show you around," Kagome said to Hiei as they climbed the stairs to the second floor after the introductions were made.

"Hn," was the only reply she got from him.

"This is Souta's room, the bathroom, Mama's room, Gramps' room and my room," Kagome said, not really expecting an answer from the demon that was following her, "The guest room is next to mine but I have a feeling that you won't be using it anymore than InuYasha did."

When there was no comment on her last statement, she shrugged to herself and led him outside thinking, _'He's not the most talkative demon I've ever met. He reminds me a lot of Sesshomaru. If he's going to follow me around all the time he's going to have to warm up a little. I guess I'll just have to treat him like I did Sesshomaru.'_

After Kagome gave Hiei a tour of the outer buildings that made up the shrine, she led him to a clearing where multiple targets were lined up.

"I hope you don't mind, Hiei," Kagome said as she walked towards a shed that was located to one sid eof the clearing," But I need to practice. Just because I'm no going to the past anymore doesn't mean I don't need my fighting skills."

Hiei jumped to a nearby tree and watched as she came out dressed in an old-fashioned taiyja ourfit and carrying numerous weapons. He raised an eyebrow as he counted the weapons she was carrying. She was carrying the miko's traditional bow-and-arrow, a katana, a sickle-on-a-chain, a staff and a giant boomerang. He watched her as she proceeded to lean each of her weapons against the tree that he was in and sit down in a meditative position. Curious to see if she actually had any powers or if it was just the jewel working through her, Hiei took off the bandana that covered his jagon and watched her. He was surprised to see that she had two auras. The first was the traditional miko pink. It was swirling calmly around the second aura, which was blue. The blue aura was more powerful than the pink but was being contained by it. Not sure what was going on with the way Kagome's auras started flickering, Hiei narrowed his eyes and concentrated on his own aura totry and negate any effects it may be causing on her aura.

Kagome, on the other hand, was in her mind and was only vaguely aware that Hiei was in the tree above her. She was concentrating on her powers to try and get more of it under her control instead of running free throughout her body. After a few minutes of wrestling with her powers, Kagome relaxed slightly with a contented sigh as she let her new level of controlled power flow through her. She then got up, after letting the power flow for a few minutes, to see Hiei standing in front of her glaring. Not sure of how he was going to react, she asked cautiously, "What is it, Hiei?"

"What the hell was that all about? And what's with the two auras," Hiei asked angrily, still glaring at the girl.

"Huh?"  
"Your auras were fluctuating badly while you were meditating. I want to know why," Hiei said, stiffly.

"Oh. My pwers aren't totally under my control, so every day I meditate for a while and tame another little bit," Kagome explained as she picked up her bow, "While I can use all of my powers, it is just easier, and safer, if I can control all of it."

"And the two auras?"

"I don't know about that. I guess the second one would be from the Shikon Jewel," Kagome said as she lined herself up with the first target.

Hiei leaned against the tree that he had abandoned and watched her fire her arrows as he thought about the information that he had been given.

"You're pretty good against stationary targets, girl," Hiei said a few minutes later.

"I'm pretty good with moving targets, too," Kagome said a little annoyed at the 'girl' but ignoring it for now.

"Let's test that, shall we," he said, just before disappearing.

_'Great,'_ Kagome thought sarcastically as she pulled her miko ki out of her arrows and stretched her senses in search of the demon, _'Just what I need. A cranky fire demon who just had to test a miko's abilities.'_

Sensing that he was coming up behind her, she waited till the last possible moment before she spun around and fired her arow at him, hoping that she didn't do too much damage. She was glad to see that he had caught the arrow before it could hit him. Hiei on the other hand was surprised that she almost hit him. He was very glad that his reflexes were faster than his thoughts or he would have been seriously hurt. He kept his surprise from showing as he handed her the arrow and said, "What weapon are you going to work with next?"

"I usually do staff, boomerang, sickle-and-chain, and that katana last," Kagome said as she leaned the bow and quiver next to the other weapons and picked up the staff.

"Ready for another test," Hiei said with another smirk as he disappeared once again.

_'Not again,'_ Kagome thought as she once again pulled her energy out of her staff and stretched her senses. She quickly moved to block the attack that was coming at her from the right, thinking that she would treat this as if Sango was there training her instead of Hiei.

_'Hm. She doesn't seem to be surprised that I'm using a live blade against her,'_ Hiei thought as he continued to test her defenses and parry the occassional attack, _'Her teacher must have done the same.'_

After about twenty minutes into her 'test' Kagome set the end of her staff on the ground, signaling to Hiei that she was done with this section of her 'test'. Hiei came to a stop in front of with his katana still drawn, saying scornfully, "Tired already?"

"No," Kagome said as she walked over to her weapons and grabbing the boomerang and sickle, "It's just time for me to use a different weapon, that's all."

"Hn," was all that she heard before Hiei started attacking once again.

And so another 20 minute practice session began for the boomerang and sickle-and-chain. But when Kagome picked up her katana, she noticed a slight change in Hiei's stance and demeanor. She noted that his grip became tighter, his eyes narrowed and his stance became more aggressive. To her it seemed as if he became more dangerous than he had before. In response to his subconscious reactions, Kagome brought forth a little bit of the mindset that she had used to defeat Naraku. Getting intoher own stance, Kagome nodded to Hiei and the fight began.

If any of their friends had been around to see them, they would have been very surprised to see how fast they were moving. Hiei fought with his katana as if it was an extension of himself while Kagome fought with hers as if it was a dance. Both fighters were surprised at the other's skill with the katana. After 20 minutes of fighting, where neither could say that they had the upper hand, Hiei moved back surprising Kagome into asking, "Is something wrong, Hiei?"

"It has been 20 minutes. Do you not wish to stop," he asked instead raising an eyebrow at her.

"No," Kagome said, realizing why he had stopped their fight, "I usually practice with my katana mych longer than I do with my other weapons. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Hn," he said with a smirk as he stepped forward to continue the fight.

An hour later Kagome's mother came out to the clearing to find Hiei and Kagome still fighting. Knowing her daughter as she did, Kun-Loon knew that Kagome wouldn't stop the fight until it was either a draw or one of them won. Deciding to make sure that Kagome didn't hurt herself, she stepped into the clearing and yelled, "Kagome!"

The fighting immediately stopped as Kagome appeared before her and asked, "Is something wrong, Mama?"  
"Nothing is wrong, Kagome," Kun-Loon said, calmly, "You've been out here for over three hours. You need to come in, eat, and take a break. You've got school tomorrow, remember?"  
"I am kinda hungry," Kagome said thoughtfully, "How about you, Hiei?"

"I don't eat human food," Hiei answered as he sheathed his katana.

"We'll be right in, Mama," Kagome said as she picked up her weapons and started to clean them.

"Do you want me to fix anything?"  
"No, thanks, Mama," Kagome said without looking up, "I'll fix something for both of us."

"All right, dear. I'll see you inside then," Kun-Loon said, leaving the clearing.

"Where did you learn how to use a katana like that," Hiei asked once Kun-Loon had left.

"Lord Sesshomaru taught me before we fought Naraku," Kadome said as she picked up her boomerang.

"Sesshomaru?"  
"Yeah. He's the Demon Lord of the West. At least he was in the past anyways."

_'So she knows one of the Demon Lords. That explains who wants to meet her, but not why,'_ Hiei thought as he watched her clean her weapons and put them back in the shed.

"So what kind of food do you like, Hiei," Kagome asked as they walked back to the house.

"I already told you, girl, I don't eat human food," he answered.

"Look, Hiei, I've cooked human food for demons before. InuYasha, Shippo and Jakken ate my food all the time. Hell, even Sesshomaru ate my food and he's the pickiest demon I've met," Kagome said, exasperated with the fire demon, "Now all I want to know is if you prefer meat or vegetables."

Surprised that Kagome could possibly be losin her temper with him, Hiei said, "Vegetables."

"Thank you, Hiei," she said sweetly any possibility of an explosion gone, as they entered the house.

############################################

All right, chapter 4 is rewritten. Total number of words 2878. The most so far I think. Let me know how you liked the update.


	5. Chapter 5

Here is chapter 5 for you guys.

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

Hiei sat himself down at the kitchen table to watch Kagome as she fixed their meal. As he watched her reach into the refrigerator

"I learned this recipe from Jineji," Kagome said as she sliced the numerous vegetables and heating up the wok, "I wonder if he's still alive in that demon world of yours. It'd be nice to see him again."

"Hn," was all Hiei said in response but Kagome didn't seem all that bothered by his lack of response as she continued talking about the griends that she had made amongst the demons in the Sengoku Jidai.

Hiei watched Kagome, listening absently, as she gradually put the vegetables with some seasonings into the wok. After a few minutes of cooking she would put them in a covered dish. While they were cooking she was also cooking rice in a separate pan. About 10 minutes later both the rice and the vegetables were done cooking, so Kagome set bothitems on the table. After getting a couple of bowls and chopsticks out, she served Hiei his rice and vegetables before fixing herself some.

After the meal was eaten in silence, Hiei helped Kagome with the dishes thinking that the meal that she had just made was better than the meals Kurama usually made for him.

"I guess I had better make sure that I have everytghing ready for tomorrow," Kagome said once the dishes were done.

"Why," Hiei asked as he followed her up to her room.

"I tend to oversleep," Kagome said as she opened her closet.

"Yusuke seems to have the same problem," Hiei said as he sat on the windowsill.

"Not only that but then he sleeps through all of his classes, too," Kagome said, pulling out her backpack.

Kagome then went to her desk and started piling her school books into her backpack saying, "School should be easier now that I don't have a rude hanyou dragging me off to the past every few days."

Hiei just 'hn'ed as he watched her close her bag and return to the closet.

_'She seems to be very happy with that uniform of hers,'_ Hiei thought as Kagome pulled out a blue sailor suit that had a long skirt.

"Thank the gods," Kagome said with a happy sigh, "I'm finally going to a school that has decent uniforms for the girls. I honestly think that the principle at my old school was a pervert."

After making sure that the uniform fit and that there wouldn't be any problems with it, Kagome went outside to play with Souta and Shippo before it got too dark.

"Prince Koenma, sir," Botan said, calmly as she entered his office.

"What is it, Botan? Can't you see I'm busy," Koenma said as he stamped papers/

"I have an update for you, sir," she said, used ot his callousness.

"Well, give it already," he said, giving her his full attention.

"It turns out that Yusuke and Ms. Higurashi are cousins," she said, "Kurama also tod me that Ms. Higurashi is the Gaurdian fo the Shikon Jewel and that the reason why she disappeared form our radar all the time was because she was going to the Sengoku Jidai to defeat Naraku."

"How was she able to go back in time and why weren't we aware of it," Koenma asked, clearly irritated at this information.

"Apparently the well on the shrine was a time portal. It no longer functions, though. I think that the Demon Lord that wants to meet her may have been one of her traveling companions," Botan said cautiously, not wanting Koenma to take his irritaion out on her.

"That's probably true, Botan, but that doesn't explain why we didn't know about it," Koenma said, leaning back into his chair with a frown.

"We were still a mess 500 years ago, weren't we, sir," George said as he set some more papers on Koenma's desk, waiting to be stamped.

"We were getting organized during that time, so I suppose it's possible for it to slip under our radar without us noticing," Koenma said with a sigh as he leaned forward to look through the papers George had brought in, "Has any of the ogres come through with that research I ordered on Higurashi?"  
"No, sir, they're still working on it," George said before leaving.

"Is ther anything else you need me for, Prince Koenma," Botan asked, hoping he didn't.

"No, just keep me updated," Koenma said, getting back to his stamping.

"Yes, Prince Koenma," she said, leaving with a smile.

Chapter 5 revision complete. Total words 800.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hello, Yusuke," Kagome said as she descended the shrine stairs, "Wide awake this morning, I see."

"Oh, shut up," Yusuke muttered angrily, "It should be illegal to be awake this early."

"If you went to bed at a deecent time instead of staying up all night, you wouldn't have this problem," Kurama told him, "By the way, Kagome, when we're at school I go by Shuichi Minamino and not Kurama."

Oh, OK. What's up with the uniforms, though," Kagome asked, eyeing their uniforms as they walked towards the school, the boys forming a protective circle around her.

"Kurama's uniform is pink because he looks more like a girl than a guy. And green looks better on me than blue does," Yusuke said, laughing.

"Actually, I'm at the top of our class," Kurama said, glaring at the other boy, "The teachers have tried to get Yusuke to wear the proper uniform but they've given up."

"Even Keiko gave up on him to wear the proper uniform," Kuwabara said, "She's just happy that he's actually going to school now and not skipping anymore."

"Hey, the only time I skip anymore is when we have a mission," Yusuke said, glaring at the orange-haired teen, "Besides, life has gotten much easier now since she's not dragging me all the time."

"Good. You really do need a good education, Yusuke," Kagome said, thinking about all the fights she used to have with InuYasha about her schooling.

_'He was a self-centered idiot. It's a wonder he survived at all through your battles,'_ Hiei sent to her, not truly realizing that he was trying to make her feel better.

_'I have wondered the same thing on a number of occassions. He truly was an itdiot. I wonder if he's changed,'_ Kagome sent back.

_'Highly unlikely.'_

_ 'True. He wouldn't be InuYasha if he wasn't.'_

"Hey, Kags. What are you concentrating so hard on," Yusuke asked interrrupting her thouhts.

"Just thinking about some old friends that's all," she said, turning to him, "I'm not sure if you can understand that or not."

"Hey," Yusuke shouted, clearly agitated but calming down when he saw that she was laughing along with everyone else.

"Ill show you not understanding," he said starting to chase after her.

Laughter and joking could be heard from the group as they continued down the streets to their school. Kagome would often have an extra laugh or two at Kuwabara or Yusuke because of Hiei's silent comments. When they reached the school, Kagome noticed that Yusuke had gone pale at something he was seeing. Looking across the courtyard to the steps that led into the school Kagome noticed a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair in a blue uniform similar to hers, fumng. Curious, she asked Kurama, "Who's that girl that Yusuke is so scared of, Kurama?"

"That happens to be Keiko, his girlfriend. She's probably thinking that you're trying to steal Yusuke from her or something. Either that or he forgot about another one of their dates," Kurama said, looking at the young woman, "And remember it's Shuichi."

"Sorry, Shuichi," Kagome said, "I guess I'd better go introduce myself then, since it looks like Yusuke isn't going to."

She left the group behind as she walked around the groups of students that were clustered around the courtyard and up the steps to the fuming girl and said, "Hi! I'm Kagome. I'm Yusuke's cousin. You must be his girlfriend, Keiko, right?"

"Um, yes, I am," the girl answered, still a bit mad, "I thought that you went to a different school though?"

"I used to but I missed too many days and my grades dropped horribly," Kagome said with sigh, "Do you mind showing me where the principal's office is?"

"Not at all," Keiko said, linking their arms and drawing her through the school doors, "Shuichi will make sure that Yusuke gets to class."

They soon started discussing the problems they had with Yusuke in particular and boys in general as they walked towards the principal's office. When they reached the door, Keiko told Kagome, "I'll wait for you out here, That way I can show you around."  
"Thanks, Keiko," Kagome said to her new friend with a smile before entering the office.

##&##&##&##&##

"Hey, Shorin. Have you seen the new chick, yet," one of the underclassmen asked of an athletic looking blonde boy.

"No, I haven't, Tohru," the boy called Shorin answered, "What does she look like?"

"I heard that she makes the girl's uniform look really good and you know how hard that is," the other boy answered, "Let's hope she's in one of our classes."

Just then their teacher called for silence as Keiko and a new girl stood at the front of the class.

"Class, this is Kagome Higurashi. She just transferred so let's all try out best to make her feel welcome, alright? Ms. Higurashi you can sit next to Ms. Yukimura seeing as how you have the next class together," she said motiioning the two girls to sit down._! Not only have I finally found the Shikon and take Jewel but it's Gaurdian is a real looker. It'll be a piece of cake to seduce her and take that lovely little jewel away from her. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!'_

Shorin watched the two girls interact with the rest of the class wondering if he didn't have a class with her. A few minutes later the bell rang, signalling the end of home room. Everyone stood up and made their way ot the door and to their next class. Shorin watched Kagome and Keiko as they met up with Kuwabara and walked together to their next class.

_'If she knows Kuwabara then it's safe to assume that she knows Urameshi and Minamino as well. Damn,' _Shorin thought as he headed to his next class, _'That complicates things. I'll have to plan this very carefully. But I do so love a challenge.'_

##&##&##&##&##

"God, I hate math," Kagome said as she, Yusuke, and Kuwabara left the classroom, "I need so much help in this class."

"I'm sure that Kurama'll help you if you ask," Kuwabara said as they walked to the cafeteria, "It was pretty funny the way you kept waking Urameshi and the way he would glare at you every time you did."

"Yeah, it was pretty funny," Kagome said with a little laugh, remembering how much fun Hiei had watching them.

"I don't see what's so funny about waking me up," Yusuke grumbled angrily, "Hell. I don't even see why you had to do it in the first place, Kagome."

"I promised to help Keiko keep you in line," Kagome said as they entered the cafeteria and looked for the rest of their friends. They found them sitting at a back table away from the rest of the student body.

As they sat down Keiko asked, "So how's your day been so far, Kagome?"

"It's okay, I guess," Kagome answered as she opened her lunch, "Our literature class is fine but I absolutely hate my math class."  
"You have geometry with Yusuke and Kuwabara, don't you," Kurama asked as he ate his own lunch.

"Yeah. The only thing that I didn't have trouble with was keeping Yusuke awake," she answered.

"If you need any help, I'll be more than happy to help you," Kurama said.

"Thanks, but you might want to come over this weekend because I don't understand any of it," she said with a sigh as she finished her lunch, "I have botany next, can you guys tell me where it is?"

"I have the same class, so I'll show you where it is," Kurama said, getting up and ignoring Yusuke's and Kuwabara's antics.

"Thanks, Suichi," Kagome said, also rising, "I'll see you guys later."

"See ya," they answered before going back to their arguing.

So here is the next chapter that has been edited again. Can't remember if I told ya'll before but I have totally lost all my saved chapters for this story. So now I have to retype it all and while I'm doing that I'm rereading what I wrote and going 'I can't believe I wrote this shit!' So yeah. I've also started going back to school so I'm not sure how much time I'll actually be able to spend on this thing. For everyone that has reviewed and/or favorited this story thank you so much!


	7. Chapter 7

"So why are you taking botany, Kagome, if you don't mind me asking. The last time I checked, it was an elective," Kurama asked as he walked next to her to the classroom.

"It still is and I don't mind," Kagome said with a smile at his politeness, "I used to help Kaede make medicines all the time. It got me interested. Besides, there's Shippo too."

"Of course," Kurama said as they entered the room, "Mr. Omaru is going to be assigning partners today, so I'll try to make sure that you and I are partnered together, Kagome."

"That'd be great, Suichi," she said with another smile.

_'So you know how to make medicines, heh,'_ Kagome heard.

_'Yeah. Kaede used to tell me that the medicines that I prepared worked better than the ones she used to make,'_ she told Hiei.

_'Kurama tends to fix us up after our missions. Ask him later about his supply. I think you'll be surprised,'_ Hiei sent back in response.

_'I'll do that. Thanks, Hiei,'_ she replies as their teacher entered the room.

"It is my understanding that we have a new student today. A Kagome Higurashi, I believe. Please stand so everyone will know who you are," Mr. Omaru said. After Kagome had stood for a moment he said, "You may sit down now, Ms. Higurashi. Today we are starting our group projects. Each of you will be paired and choose a plant that you will research. I must approve that plant if you are to receive any credit for your work. Now your partner is going to be the person you are sitting beside. I have a list of plants you can use if you can't think of any. I will also be handing out a list of what I will be looking for in your research. It will also contain -in detail- what this assignment is about and when it is due. If you have any questions, come see me."

He then passed out the papers as the students started to talk to their partners about what plant they were going to research.

"Sir, is it all right if we concentrate on the medicinal uses of the plant," Kurama asked when Mr. Omaru stopped at their table.

"That is fine, Mr. Minamino, as long as you also discuss the items I have asked for. I trust that you will explain to Ms. Higurashi what I expect of my students," he answered, handing them their papers.

"Of course, sir. You don't mind do you, Kagome," Kurama asked as Mr. Omaru went to the next table, "There's a couple of plants that I've been thinking about using but haven't been sure of their properties."

"That's fine, Suichi," Kagome said smiling, "I was actually going to ask if you wanted to do that. What type of plant did you have in mind?"

"I have a plant known as dragonroot at home that looks very nice but it feels like it wants to be used for something, if that makes any sense."

"Sure it does," Kagome said with a sly smile, "Dragonroot sounds familiar to me for some reason. I"ll need to take a look at it to be sure, though. It might've been one of the herbs that Kaede had trouble getting."

"It is notorious for being difficult to grow domestically. It's even harder to find in the wild," Kurama said, looking over the paper they were given.

"Shall I come over this afternoon and take a look at it? You can explain some of the geometry if there's time, if you want," Kagome asked, also looking over the paper.

"That's fine. Yusuke will probably need some help with his homework anyways, so I can help you at the same time," Kurama said just as the bell rang.

"Thanks, Suichi. Can you tell me where the history classroom is?"

"It's three doors down on the right," Kurama said, pointing in the right direction.

"Thanks. I'll see you later," she said with a smile as she headed for the classroom.

_'This class should be fairly easy, considering that I lived through most of it,' _thought Kagome as she took an empty seat near the back.

She sat back and watched the other students, recognizing some of them from her other classes. One boy she noticed in particular because of the way he kept staring at her.

_'This guy is starting to creep me out. Why is he staring at me like that? Oh, great. Now he's coming over. Just great,'_ Kagome thought sarcastically, aware that Hiei was more than likely listening.

Hiei wasn't actually listening to her thoughts, just the emotions behind them. So he was greatly surprised when a few minutes later he felt her anger surge and her thoughts making themselves known to his jagan.

_'...Son of a bitch! Who the hell does he think he is? What kind of girl does he think I am? Now what!'_

Curious, he connected more firmly with her mind and listened in, as he heard through her ears, "Ms. Higurashi, we do not strike our fellow students."

"I agree, ma'am, but I had every right to defend myself," Kagome said trying to calm herself.

"Oh?"

"Yes, ma'am. He insulted me by suggesting that I perform a very vulgar act. Any decent girl would have done the same thing no matter what the guy looked like," she answered, glaring at the boy who had a red hand print on his face.

"What exactly did he say to you," the teacher asked.

"I will not lower myself to his level by repeating it. I feel dirty enough just having heard it. I will **not** repeat it," Kagome said vehemently.

"Very well. Mr. Takeya you are to stay away from Ms. Higurashi from now on. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mrs. Kincha," the blonde answered, glaring at Kagome as he went to his seat.

"Now that that is over, let's begin shall we," Mrs. Kincha said as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.

The rest of the class groaned as they opened their books and started reading along with her. Hiei sat quietly in Kagome's mind, watching to see if she needed help. Kagome noticed this and was grateful because his presence helped her calm down, so that she didn't fry the guy.

When the bell rang the whole class got up eagerly and rushed out the door. Mrs. Kincha held Kagome back, saying, "You're very knowledgeable about the Sengoku Jidai, Ms. Higurashi. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be boring you, so I would like to give you the test at the end of the week and make you my aide."

"I'd be honored, Mrs. Kincha. As long as it doesn't interfere with my other classes, I don't have a problem with it," Kagome said politely.

"Good, good. I'll tell you what needs to be done tomorrow, my dear. Right now I think that you need to get to your next class."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you," Kagome said, leaving the room and heading down the nearly empty hallway, following the directions Hiei sent to her so that she could get to the gym on time.

"There you are, Kagome," Keiko said as Kagome walked through the door to the girls' locker room, "You need to hurry and change your uniform. We only have a few minutes before class starts."

"Mrs. Kincha held me back for a few minutes," Kagome told her as she changed her uniform, "She wants to me to be her aide."

"That's good, Kagome. You'll be able to work on you r homework," Keiko said, happy for her new friend.

"That's what I was thinking," Kagome said as she tied her shoes, "All right, I'm done."

"Perfect timing. C'mon," the short-haired girl said, grabbing her hand and dragging her out into the gum where the rest of their friends were waiting.

"So how was your history class, Kagome," Kurama asked after the round of greetings.

"It was okay. Mrs. Kincha wants me to be her aide," she said with a shrug, "So what are we doing today, guys?"  
"Not sure really," Kuwabara said, scratching his head, 'The teacher likes to surprise us every now and then."

"Really? So that's why everyone seems to be excited to be in gym," Kagome said, looking at the rest of her classmates.

"All right, class, gather round," an older gentleman said as he walked to the middle of the room.

"First, I would like to introduce and welcome our new student, Kagome Higurashi," he said, after everyone had seated themselves, "Just call me Mr. Ray, Higurashi. Now I'm sure that you're all wondering what fun, new thing I'm going to have you do today, aren't you?

"As you know, we have a dance coming up at the end of the semester. I have heard a lot of you complain that neither you nor your partner know how to dance. So guess what? That will be our new event for the next couple of weeks. So what I'd like you all to do is pair up with whoever you are taking to the dance. If you don't have one or they're not here, stand on the sidelines for the moment and I will pair you up."

As everyone paired up, Kagome watched on the sidelines. _'It's been awhile since I even heard about a dance, much less been to one. I wonder how much I've changed if I'm not all that worried about it like I used to be,'_ Kagome thought as Mr. Ray went down the line pairing everyone up.

When he came to her, he said, "I'm afraid that you are going to have to be the odd man out, Higurashi."

"That's okay, Mr. Ray," she answered with a smile, "I doubt that I'll go, so it's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. I'll just sit over on the bleachers if you don't mind?"

"Go right ahead," Mr. Ray said as he walked back to the waiting pairs.

_"What is a 'dance','_ Kagome heard from Hiei as she sat down.

_"It's a human mating ritual,' _she answered, _'It's where people go when they are looking for mates. Humans are very complicated when it comes to mating rituals.'_

_ 'Demons are much simpler,'_ Hiei replied.

_ 'I know,'_ Kagome thought as she leaned back against the bleachers and watched her cousin and her friends make fools of themselves, _'The only one not making a fool of himself is Kurama. Must be the kitsune in him.'_

An hour later, Mr. Ray sent everyone to the locker rooms with frayed tempers and sore toes. With the exception of Kagome, who found it quite funny but kept it to herself.

"What are you doing after school, Kagome," Keiko asked as they changed back into their uniforms.

"Suichi has invited me over so that we can work on our botany research paper," Kagome said as she tied her other pair of shoes, "If we have time he's going to try to help me with my geometry."

"Well, if you need any girl time let me know. I'll be more than happy to help," Keiko said with a smile as she waited at the door for Kagome.

"I'll keep that in mind, Keiko. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to need a few of those with all the time I'll be spending with the boys," she said, walking out into the hall where the boys were waiting for them.

"I know that you and Suichi had plans, Kags," Yusuke said, "but something's come up so it's gonna have to be a rain check on that."

"You guys do what you need to," Kagome said, "I'm pretty sure that Keiko and I can stay out of trouble."

"I really hate to do this to you, Kagome," Kurama said as the other two boys left.

"It's fine, Kurama. I understand, or don't you remember what I told you guys yesterday," Kagome said soothingly.

"As long as you are sure," he said, still sounding unsure.

"I'm sure, Suichi, now go," Kagome said.

"I think that he likes you, Kagome," Keiko said, as they watched him run to catch up with the others.

"I have enough kitsunes in my life as it is, Keiko," Kagome said, as they started walking out of the school, "I don't need another one, thank you."

"Why don't you come over to my place, Kagome," Keiko asked as they stopped at the gate, "I can help you with your geometry if you want."

"That'd be great! I can finally understand math. Yes," Kagome cheered, causing the other students to stare at her.

"So what were you talking about when you were talking to Kurama," Keiko asked as she glared at the the onlookers, causing them to rush around as if they hadn't been caught staring.

"That's right. I forgot that you knew about demons. Sorry, Keiko," Kagome said sheepishly, ignoring her schoolmates as they walked down the sidewalk, "I just reminded him of what I had gone through, so I understood and that he didn't have to worry, that's all."

"So you understand what Yusuke is going through then?"

"Basically. Though I didn't go through the same thing as he's going through now," Kagome said with a shrug, "I'll tell you about it later if you want."

"That would be nice. Do you mind if I ask you questions if I'm confused about things," Keiko asked softly.

"Sure. I'd be more than happy to help you in any way I can. It's the least I can do for helping me with my math," Kagome replied with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Here we are," Keiko said standing before a diner.

"Yukimura Diner, huh," Kagome said reading the sign, "Does your family make oden?"  
"Not for the shop. Mom makes it but we don't eat it all that often," Keiko answered, going through the door.

"I don't see why. Oden is the best dish there is," Kagome said, following her hostess through the diner and up the stairs.

"You really like oden, don't you, Kagome," Keiko said with a chuckle as she opened one of the doors that lined that hallway.

"Yeah. Mom used to make it every time I cam home form one of my trips," she said as she looked around the room, "Nice room."

"Thanks. Go ahead and have a seat," Keiko said, putting her bag on a chair, 'I'll be right back. Mom probably made some snacks."

"Okay," Kagome said, sitting on the bed as Keiko left the room.

She pulled out her math books as she took a closer look at the room. _'I never would've thought that her room would be so girly. From the impression that I got of her I thought her room would be, I don't know, less girly, I guess,'_ Kagome thought, _'But I guess that's what people think when they see my room. Oh, well.'_

Just then Keiko came back in with a tray of drinks and snacks.

"Ready to learn, I see," she said, setting the tray on the desk and turning to face the girl.

"Oh, yeah. I thought I'd get a little ready at least," Kagome said, taking one of the cups off the tray and taking a sip, "Mmm. This is good. What is it?"

"It's hot chocolate. Mom has always made it for me as part of my after school snack. She thinks that it helps me study," Keiko said with a shrug as she took the other cup.

"Maybe it'll help me with my math," Kagome said with a grin as she opened her textbook.

So, here's the revised Chapter 7. Not much really changed here. I hate making up names for people. I apologize if anybody is getting a notice saying that I have updated the story when I've only changed the old chapters. See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! Sorry about the wait but I've been really busy with work. I'm slowly working on getting the chapters that I do have written typed and trying to find the time to finish the rest of the story. This is chapter eight and it will go a lot faster from now on.

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_:Mental conversation:_

Kagome closed her textbook with a sigh, saying, "I think that's all for tonight, Keiko. Thank you so much for helping me. It doesn't seem so hard anymore."

"You're welcome, Kagome," Keiko said with a smile, "Just let me know if there's anything else I can help you with."  
"I'll probably be back tomorrow needing some more help," Kagome said with a wink at the other girl as she left the room and out of the diner.

"Not a problem, Kagome," Keiko said as she followed Kagome to the gate, "Maybe another day we can spend time being girls."

"I'd like that, Keiko. I'll see you tomorrow at school," she said with a smile and a wave as she turned down the sidewalk humming to herself.

_'I wonder if the boys are okay,'_ Kagome thought worriedly as she continued down the streets, _'Should I check on them? I don't to distract Hiei though.'_

_:We're fine:_ she heard, Hiei's voice ringing through her mind, _:The demon wasn't that hard to destroy.:_

_:Oh, good. That's a relief:_ Kagome sent back, relief washing through her, _:I'll see you at home then.:_

She felt an affirmative before her connection to Hiei shut off. Glancing around she noticed that during her conversation with Hiei she had gotten closer to home. Happy that she didn't have that much longer to walk, Kagome started humming again, failing to notice that someone was following her.

She had only taken a few steps when she felt a hand grab her shoulder and shove her down a nearby alley. Gaining her feet after tripping over some garbage, Kagome took a good look at her attaker. Not at all surprised as to who it was, she said, "What do you want, Takeya? Dfon't think that you will be able to get whatever you want just because we're in this alley. I've faced worse than you. You are nothing."

"Shut up, bitch," her attacker said, backhanding her and sending her into the wall, "I don't care how tough you think you are, I will get what I want one way or another."

As he was saying all that, Kagome was inching along the wall, trying to get by him. Just as she turned to run, Shion grabbed her shoulder and slammed her back into the wall, pressing his body into hers as his hands groped her breasts, tearing at the shirt that covered them. Struggling agasinst his weight, Kagome brought her hands up intending to scratch at his eyes. She managed to scratch his cheek before he slapped her again. Smiling evily, he told her, "Go ahead and try to escape. It makes it a lot better."

Eyes widening in fear as she felt his arousal press into her hip she screamed for Hiei in her mind still struggling. She received another slap for her troubles and felt her shirt rip open, ecxposing her chest to her attacker. Silently crying and refusing to beg, Kagome continued to struggle until she suddenly felt her attacker's weight leave her.

She sank to her knees, clutching the remains of her shirt closed as she looked up at her rescuer. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Hiei standing over Shion with his sword at his throat. Not wanting Hiei to get in trouble for killing a human, Kagome shakily got to her feet and stumbled over to him and placed a shaky hand on his shoulder. Her voice shook slightly as she said, "He's not worth it, Hiei. I just want to go home and get clean."

"Hn," he said, sheathing his sword and placing his cloak around her shoulders. Turning to the human that was still on the ground, he said, "Come near her again and I **will** kill you."

He then turned and gathered Kagome in his arms, jumping to the roof as he did so. Hiei ran along the rooftops to the shrine. As he entered the shrine he jumped into the tree that grew next to her window and climbed into her room. He then set her down on her bed and turned to her closet to find the first aid kit he had seen her put in there as she huddled into his cloak. Turning around a few minutes later with the kit in his hand, he saw that Kagome was staring at her feet without really seeing them. Wanting to ease his worry and protective instincts, he called to her mind, _:Kagome? Do you mind if I take care of your bruises before your mother comes up? She's worried about you.:_

_:Huh? Oh, sure:_ Kagome replied in the same way, _:Thank you for coming. I really don't want to think about what would've happened if you hadn't come.:_

_:You would've thought of something, Kagome: _Hiei replied still unaware that he was using her name, _:You are not weak, no matter what that mutt says.:_

Kagome stared at him in surprise for a moment as he tended to her wrists before smiling softly. Hiei suddenly felt a sense of peace from her as he gently placed her wrists in her lap. He then gently grabbed her chin, turning her head to the left to tend to her cheek before turning her head the other way. He tehn stepped away from her and blushed slightly saying aloud, "You might want to change your shirt before your mother comes in unless you want her to start asking questions."

"No," Kagome said, standing up and heading for her closet, "Thank you for taking care of me, Hiei."

Hiei just 'hn'ed as he cleaned up the mess he had made while tending to her hurts as Kagome changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. A few minutes later, Hiei handed her the kit and told her, _:Your mother is on her way up to talk to you.:_

_:Stay with me:_ Kagome asked as she put the kit in her closet.

Hiei nodded and moved to stand behind her as she sat on her bed as Kun-Loon opened the door and poked her head in saying, "Kagome? Can I come in? Shippo said that Hiei had brought you home."

"Sure, Mama," Kagome said, looking down so that her hair hid the bruises on her face, "Sorry about that."

"Is there something wrong, Kagome," she asked sitting beside her on the bed, "You've never not looked at me."

_:What do I do, Hiei? I don't want her to worry.:_

_:Tell her the truth. She's worrying about you now.:_

"I was attacked earlier, Mama," Kagome said after taking a deep breath and looking at her.

"Who attacked you?! When I get my hands on them--," Kun-Loon asked, half rising from the bed in righteous anger.

"Mama! It's alright," Kagome said, grabbing her arm and dragging her back down onto the bed, "Hiei took care of him and me."

"Are you sure," Kun-Loon asked, looking her daughter over.

"Yes, Mama. I just have bruises and scrapes. I'll have to wear makeup until the bruising fades," Kagome said reassuring her mother.

"All right, dear. But if you want to talk about anything, you let me know, okay," Kun-Loon said, getting up and walking to the door, "Dinner will be ready in an hour. Do you want me to save you something?"

"No, thanks, Mama," Kagome said, glancing at Hiei, "I'll fix us something to eat later. I'm not really hungry right now."

"That's fine. I'll make your excuses," she said, leaving the room.

Once Kun-Loon was gone, Kagome rose from the bed and grabbed her make-up kit. Walking over to the mirror that was above the dresser, Kagome started putting her make-up on, making sure to cover the bruises on her cheeks. Hiei watched her intently for a moment before sitting on the windowsill that had become his spot in her room.

"So, how did the fight go," she asked a few minutes later.

"It was fine. The demon is dead. Seems he was after that jewel of yours," he said, hiding his grimace.

Kagome, knowing that demon fights are often brutal, took a closer look at him as she put her make-up kit away. She noticed that he was breathing shallowly and that every few breaths he would grimace. Wanting to make sure that her suspicion was correct, Kagome let a tiny tendril of her power flow over Hiei. What she found made her frown and say, "Hiei, you need your wounds taken care of."

"I'll be fine," he said without turning away from the window.

With an aggravated sigh at the stubborness of demons, Kagome gathered her first-aid kit, thinking, _'If he won't come to me, I'll just have to go to him.'_

With kit in hand she walked over to him, hoping that she wouldn't have to fight him as she used to with InuYasha and Sesshomaru. Hiei looked up at her as she stopped next to him and reaised an eyebrow in a silent query. Figuring that if she ordered him he would be stubborn, Kagome tried a different approach, saying, "Look, Hiei, I know that you believe your wounds are fine but please let me take care of them. It'll make me feel better."

Deciding to humor her, Hiei rose from the windowsill and sat on the corner of her bed, removing his cloak as he did so. Kneeling between his knees, Kagome lifted his tattered shirt and shook her head at the mess bandages. As she unwound the bandages from his chest, Hiei couldn't help but think, _'She acts like she's done this before. I wonder if she treated her companions.'_

"You're as bad as InuYasha and Sesshomaru," Kagome said with a grimace as she got a good look at the gashes that crossed his ribs and chest, "The others came to me after each fight. I had to tie those two down just to see the wounds, much less treat them. I know that demons heal faster than humans but my medicines speed up the process, so I don't understand why it was always a struggle with them."

Hiei sat there pondering this new information about her as she pulled out a small pot of salve and started rubbing it over the wounds. Figuring that she would have an easier time if she didn't have to deal with what was left of his shirt, Hiei took it off, noticing the slight change in her scent as he did so. She blushed slightly as she put the pot away and grabbed a roll of bandages and started wrapping it around his chest, having to lean into him slightly to reach around his back. As soon as she was done, she rose from between his knees saying, "You can put your shirt back on, Hiei, I'm done."

After putting away the first-aid kit, she left the room quickly, causing him to smirk. Knowing that they weren't going to eat until later, Hiei left his shirt off and made himself comfortable on her ved to ponder over everything he had learned about her so far.

A few minutes later Shippo ran into the room and looked at Hiei for a moment before saying, "Mama is chasing me! Help hide me?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow but lifted his cloak off the floor and put it next to him, motioning the kit under it. As Shippo hid himself under the cloak, Hiei asked, "Why is she chasing you?"

"She said that she needed to burn some extra energy and asked me and Souta if we wanted to play hide-and-seek," Shippo said, as softly as he could knowing that Hiei would hear him.

"Then why didn't she want to spar?"  
"I think she needed to get away from you. I could hear her mumbling under her breath about you. I think she forgot about my hearing," he answered still whispering.

"Hn," Hiei said, adding this new information to the puzzle that was Kagome as she came running through the door.

"Have you seen Shippo, Hiei," she asked opening her closet and looking under her bed.

"I thought I saw him outside. Why," Hiei said, pretending to be helpful as he watched her move around the room searching for the kit.

"Really? I could've sworn that I saw him come upstairs."

"It could've been a trick. Kitsune's love them, you know that," Hiei said, hiding a smile.

"True. Shippo does love to play tricks," Kagome said, stopping at the door, "Let me know if you see him, okay?"

Hiei nodded as Kagome left the room. Once it was clear, he lifted his cloak, saying, "She's gone, kit. You can come out now."

As Shippo was climbing out from under the cloak, Hiei asked, "Does she always do this when she needs to 'burn some extra energy'?"

"Depends on what kind of mood she's in," Shippo said with a shrug as he stood up, "Most of the time she was angry at InuYasha, so she and Sango would spar a lot. We didn't play like this very often."

"Then this isn't normal?"

"Sort of. She's wanting to spar most of the time."

"Hmm," Hiei said, digesting this new piece of information, "You might want to find another place to hide before Kagome comes looking in here again."

"Right," Shippo said as he ran out of the room, "Thank you!"

_'So I affected her in some way,'_ Hiei thought to himself as he listened to the sounds of the Higurashi household, _'I can get under her skin. But right now I need to figure out why I reacted like I did when she was in trouble.'_

As he sat there thinking of his reactions, Kagome was tackling Souta to the ground and tickling him. While she was busy with Souta, Shippo snuck up behind her and jumped on her back. Acting like she was taken by surprise, Kagome rolled over to the side, off of Souta, and started laughing as both boys started tickling her. After a few minutes of the tickle torture, Kagome gasped between laughs, "All right, all right! I give up! You've defeated me!"

"Ha! Told you we could beat her, Shippo," Souta boasted.

"Shippo! Souta! It's time to eat," Kun-Loon yelled across the yard before Shippo could answer.

"Race you," Shippo said to Souta before taking off.

"Hey! No fair," Souta yelled, running after the demon kit.

Kagome got up in a leisurely fashion and made her way to the porch where her mother was waiting. As she entered the house behind her daughter, Kun-Loon said, "You know Shippo is here by himself all day when you and Souta go to school. You might want to consider sending him to school, too."

"I've already thought about it, Mama. I just haven't had the time to get him enrolled today, what with everything that's happened today," Kagome said with a sigh.

"I have some errands to run tomorrow. If you want I can take him with me and get him enrolled. You wanted to send him to Souta's school, right," Kun-Loon asked as they stopped at the stairs.

"Yes, please. I'll talk to him after supper about what's going to happen," Kagome said, putting one foot on the first step.

"I'll send him up as soon as he's done eating," Kun-Loon said, before turning towards the kitchen.

"Thanks, Mama," she answered, heading up the stairs to her room.

Well chapter 8 is done. Hopefully it was more interesting to you than the others have been. Let me know how I did and what you think I could do to improve my writing. Thank you.

Chapter 8 – 5 pages


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! Thank you to all of you that reviewed! It really made my day! Just so that everyone knows, I'm over in Iraq doing the Army thing, so I'll try to update when I can. I have up to chapter 14 typed and 17 written. I'm so happy that everyone seems to be enjoying my story! I'll let you all get back to reading now. Please review! Authors love reviews.

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_:Mental Conversation:_

Hiei looked over at the door as Kagome came in. Noticing that he was still on the windowsill (without his shirt) Kagome said to him, "I'll fix us something to eat after I pit Shippo to bed. I have to explain a few things to him about tomorrow."

"That's fine," he said as he watched her start on her homework.

Ten minutes later Shippo burst into the room saying, "Mama, Mama! Help me! Souta's after me!"

Kagome quickly turned around and caught her son, saying with a laugh, "What did you do to Souta to get him to chase you, hmm?"

"Nothing. All I did was say something about his girl," Shippo said innocently.

Just then Souta burst into the room and slid to a halt, saying, "That's cheating, Shippo. You know Kagome isn't going to do anything to you."

"Don't be so sure about that, Souta," Kagome aid, setting Shippo on the ground, "I will referee this fight and there will be ground rules. Shippo, you are not allowed to use your Fox Magic. Souta, no cheap moves. And no calling for help. Got that?"

"Yes," they said, not looking away from each other.

"This fight stays here and you are not to break anything. You do, and the fight stops," she said, looking from one boy to the other, "Begin!"

Shippo, knowing that he couldn't run anymore, went for a head-on attack that reminded Kagome of InuYasha. Souta, half expecting it, quickly moved out of the way and grabbed him by the collar. Tossing him to the floor, Souta climbed onto his back and started twisting his arm. Shippo cried out and struggled to get out from under him. After a few minutes, Shippo stopped struggling and said, "You win, Souta. I won't tease you about your girl anymore."

"Good," Souta said, letting the kitsune up, "I get teased enough by Mom and Kagome. I don't need it from you, too."

"Sorry," Shippo said.

"All right, guys, you've had your fight," Kagome said, leaning back in her chair, "Souta, you need to go to bed. And you, Shippo, need to stay here for a few minutes."

"All right. 'Night, Kagome," Souta said, leaving the room.

"Yes, Mama," Shippo asked, at the same time turning to Kagome.

"How would you like to go to school with Souta?"  
"Really?"

"Yes, but there are a couple of rules that you need to follow."

"What are they, Mama," Shippo asked, excited at the thought of going to school with Souta.

"First, you are going to have to go under glamour. Second, no Fox Magic at school," Kagome said, knowing that Shippo would agree to anything to be able to go to school with Souta, "And no talking about happened in the Sengoku Jidai."

"Okay, Mama. Anything else?"

"Mama will be taking you to school tomorrow to get you registered. You may not be able to join him until the day after," Kagome said.

"Okay. Can I go now?"

"Yes, you can go and tell Souta now," Kagome said with a smile.

"Good night, Mama," Shippo yelled as he ran out of the room.

Kagome turned back to her desk to finish her math with a sigh, thinking that it was easier to understand thanks to Keiko. She was slightly surprised when Hiei said, "If you are going to teach him how to act like a human, then you need to teach him how to be a kitsune, too."

"I know, Hiei," Kagome said putting down her pen and rising from her desk, "I was going to ask Kurama today but things came up. I'll ask him tomorrow, hopefully. Ready to get something to eat?"  
"Hn," Hiei said, following her downstairs and trying not to think about Kaome and Kurama together.

&

"What's the hold up, midget," a white-haired demon said, harshly, "We told you about this last week!"

"These things take time, Lord InuYasha," Koenma said, trying to calm him down.

"She already know about demons. Hell, she's even killed them!"

"Calm down, InuYasha," a brown-haired, brown-eyed demoness said from behind him, "Lord Koenma is just doing his job. He'll let us know when she's coming. Besides, Kagome just got home. Let her spend some time with her family before we drag her anywhere else, okay? We've waited 500 years to see her. A few more days won't hurt us."

"Feh," InuYasha said, crossing his arms and leaving the room.

"Thank you, Lady Kikyo," Koenma said with a sigh of relief.

"Try not to take too long, Lord Koenma. My brother-in-law is also getting anxious to see her again," Kikyo said before bowing respectfully and leaving.

"Thank god they're finally gone," Koenma said with an even bigger sigh of relief and wiping his brow, "I don't know how much more I could've taken of him."

"That bad, Koenma, sir," George asked as he came in carrying a tea tray.

"Worse. It was Lord InuYasha again. At least this ti e Lady Kikyo came with him," Koenma said taking one of the tea cups off the tray.

"Maybe Lord Sesshomaru will come next time instead," George said, trying to cheer his boss up.

"That'll be even worse! InuYasha just has a temper problem. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, is a totally different story," Koenma said, yelling at the poor ogre.

"At least he doesn't yell and get in your face."

"No, but he threatens to do a lot of bodily harm to you," Koenma said with a shudder at the memories of all the other times Lord Sesshomaru had threatened him, "Ogre, get me Botan."

"Yes, Koenma, sir," George said, leaving the office.

&

"My lord, is everything all right," a medium-level demon in battle armor asked of a strikingly beautiful demon that sat on a beautifully wrought throne made of demon bones.

"What is the status of my invasion, General Tsang," the demon lord asked, ignoring the question.

"Not as well as we'd hoped, my lord. The Taisho brothers are working together to fend us off," General Tsang said looking at the papers he held in his hand.

"Divide their forces, General."

"We've tried that many times, my lord. They've always defeated us whenever we tried."

"I'll give the matter some thought," the demon lord said in a dismissive manner, "Is there any other matters that need my attention?"

When no one came forward, he dismissed his courtiers and relaxed against the back of his throne, pondering everything he had just learned.

_'So the Shikon Jewel is in the human realm. And it's guardian is very beautiful, though she doesn't seem to care for my human body very much,' _he thought to himself, resting his chin on one fist.

After thinking about how he could separate the jewel from it's guardian for a few moments, he decided, _'I need more information before I can do anything about it.'_

Calling for one of the nearby servants, he told the boy, "Bring me, General Maso."

"Yes, my lord," the young boy said bowing before leaving the throne room.

Relaxing into his throne, the demon lord waited for his general to come before him. He didn't have very long to wait, which was a good thing for the general if he wanted to stay alive. Kneeling before the throne, General Maso asked, "You sent for me, my lord?"

"Yes. I have need of some of your best men," the lord said, with an evil grin.

Chapter 9 – 3 pages


	10. Chapter 10

"Speech"

"_Mental thought."_

_:Mental conversation.:_

"Why are you putting the first-aid kit in your book bag, Kagome." Souta asked from where he stood in the doorway as he watched his sister get ready for school.

"No particular reason, Souta. Have you seen Hiei," she asked as she turned around, bag in hand.

"I think I saw him outside. Why," he asked as he followed her downstairs.

"I need to talk to him, that's all," she said with a shrug as she sat down at the table.

_:What do you need, Kagome?:_

_:I just wanted to know how badly the others were hurt:_ Kagome said as she ate the breakfast her mother had placed in front of her.

_:I'm not sure. I wasn't paying attention. I do know that Kurama patched us all up, though. Why:_ he asked curiousity apparent in his voice.

_:Seems like I need to teach Kurama how to patche people up if what I saw last night was normal:_ Kagome said with a grimace.

_:I think that you need to be our healer. You're much better than he is.:_

_:Thank you, Hiei:_ Kagome said with a smile as she put her dishes in the sink and left the house.

As she descended the shrine stairs, Kagome saw that the boys were waiting for her. Eyeing them critically as she neared them, Kagome said, "Kurama, I don't mean to be mean or anything, but your bandaging sucks."

"I'm sorry," Kurama said, clearly confused.

"I redid Hiei's bandages last night. The bandages were sloppy and did nothing for his wounds," Kagome explained, "Now I want to get you guys taken care of before we get to school."

"Hiei let you tend to his wounds," Yusuke asked surprised.

"Yeah. He said that I was much better at it than Kurama was," Kagome said with a shrug, "Now are you guys going to let me take care of them or not?"  
"We'll be late if you take care of them now, Kagome," Kurama said.

"I'm pretty sure one of you guys won't mind carrying me as you run. Now about those wounds," Kagome said, pulling out her first-aid kit.

"Why don't we move over there, first, Kagome," Kurama said pointing to a nearby park that was on their way to school.

"Sure. So who wants to go first," Kagome asked, looking between the boys.

"Not me," Kuwabara said, "My Yukina healed me already."

"I'll go," Yusuke said, taking off his uniform jacket, "I've got 'em all over my arms."

Kagome just nodded as she started unwinding the bandages that covered his arms. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head as she got a good look at the old scars and new wounds that criss-crossed each other over each arm. Noting that his wounds had already closed, Kagome opened her kit and removed a different pot of salve than the one she had used last night.

"This isn't what I expected to find in a first-aid kit," Kurama said, taking another pot out and examining its contents.

"Of course not, Kurama," Kagome said, not looking away from her work, "This is the result of all the training I went through with Kaede."

"Ah," Kurama said, replacing the jar and handing her a roll of bandages.

"Then you made these yourself, then."

"Yes," Kagome said, finishing wrapping one arm and starting on the other.

"Then I suggest that you come with us from now on to tend to our injuries," Kurama said taking off his uniform shirt and undershirt.

"I agree. She has a much gentler touch than yours," Yusuke said putting his jacket back on.

"Hiei has suggested the same thing," Kagome said with a frown as she undid the bandages that covered Kurama's stomach.

"Then it's agreed," Yusuke said, "Kagome comes with us from now on. Now all we need to do is figure out who protects her while we're fighting."  
"I don't need protection, Yusuke," Kagome said harshly, her hands still gentle as she spread some ointment on Kurama's stomach, "I can protect myself."  
"Sure. Now I think that Kuwabara should protect her. What do you think, Kurama," Yusuke said, ignoring Kagome's statement and the way she glared at him.  
"Well, um--," Kurama stammered as Kagome started wrapping his stomach.

"She doesn't need any protection when we fight, detective," Hiei said, from behind Kagome as she finished, "I've already tested her skills."

_:Thank you, Hiei: _Kagome sent as she put her kit back in her bag, _:I was about to hit him if he continued.:_

_:I know. And as much as I would like to see you beat him, I know you don't want to be late for school:_he answered as he picked her up and started running to the school, surprising his companions. They looked at each other in surprise before following after him.

Hiei thought that Kagome would be scared at the speed in which he was traveling but all he sensed from her was happiness and a sense of finally being free. He looked down at her and saw that she was grinning. He stopped half a block away from the school and set her down, instantly missing the way her body had pressed into his.

The rest of the group caught up with them as Hiei told Kagome, _:I'm staying with you, so don't worry about that idiot. All right?:_

Kagome smiled calmly and nodded at him, causing Kurama, who had witnessed the exchange to raise an eyebrow and ask Hiei, _:What was that all about?:_

_:Kagome was nearly raped yesterday on her way home from Yusuke's girlfriend. I told her that I wasn't leaving today:_ he answered as he flitted from tree to tree following them.

_:Did Kagome know who it was?:_

_:A human male by the name of Shion Takeya. He started something in her history class yesterday.:_

_:He's known around school as a player. Nothing like Youko was though.:_

_:I don't think anything Youko would have said to her would've made her react like she did to what he said. I have no idea what he said to her but it was bad enough to make her hit him.:_

_:I got the impression that she wasn't a violent person by nature.:  
:She isn't, Fox. He made her so mad that I heard her thoughts. She was yelling. My head was ringing for 20 minutes afterwards.:_

_:Ouch. Did you do anything to him?:_

_:No. My primary concern was getting Kagome away from him. By the time I thought about it, she had made me promise not to do anything.:_

_:Mind if we do something, then?:  
:As long as she doesn't find out.:_

_:We won't do anything at school but I think Youko has some plans in the works.:_

"Hey, Suichi, do you want me to come over today to work on our botany project," Kagome asked as they entered the school courtyard.

"Mother needs me to do some things for her today," Kurama answered, smoothly, "How about tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll see you guys later," Kagome said as she and Keiko left for their classes.

"See ya," they answered as Kurama made sure that Yusuke mad it to his class.

&

_:So someone has hurt our Kagome:_ Youko said later that afternoon as Kurama changed his clothes.

_:Apparently Shion Takeya tried to rape her. Good thing Hiei was around:_ Kurama answered as he went through his collection of seeds and chose a few.

_:Hiei didn't do much to him if he showed up at school, though. We'll just have to remedy that won't we: _Youko said with an evil grin and twinkle in his eye.

_:Yes and while you were thinking of complicated plans, I thought of an extremely simple one that will sate our thirst for payback:_ Kurama said as he looked over his outfit in the mirror.

_:Ooh. Good plan. I like it: _Youko said, looking through Kurama's mind at the plan, _:You know, I got the feeling that Hiei is confused about Kagome.:_

_:So did I. I think he's unsure if his instincts are telling him that she's mate or family:_ Kurama said as he climbed out his window.

_:Maybe we should help him make up his mind, then.:_

_:How?:_

_:Well, Kagome is going to need someone to teach Shippo what it means to be a kitsune and who better to do that than us? And while we're teaching Shippo we can 'help' Kagome with her 'problems':_ Youko smirked.

_:I wouldn't mind except I kinda like being alive: _ Kurama said as he walked down the street, looking for a secluded place to change forms.

_:True, but we wouldn't do much.:_

_:Knowing Hiei, all we'd do is push him in the wrong direction:_ Kurama said, finally finding a little grove, _:Ready?:_

_:Always:_ Youko answered menacingly, his mood changing quickly.

Kurama looked around, making sure that no one could see him and closed his eyes. Concentrating on his youki, he slowly raised it, waiting until the right moment before he switched forms. A few minutes later, Youko left the grove and started searching for Shion's spiritual signal. He soon found it at a bar not far from where he stood. He quickly ran the few miles to the bar and stood in the shadows watching the comings and goings for a few minutes.

_:Do we have any money stashed in this outfit:_ Youko asked.

_:What type of bar is this? I've never seen one like this before:_ Kurama asked as he directed Youko to the pocket that held the money.

_:I'm familiar with this type of place. Makai is littered with them. It's basically a sex bar. People go here to look for a partner and unwind:_ Youko answered as he walked across the street, _:We'll have to come back here again when we're not busy.:_

"You on the list," the bouncer asked as Youko neared him.

"Shion told me that he would meet me here," Youko said, pouting prettily, "He said that he would make sure that I was put on the list. I guess he forgot.:

"That's not possible," the bouncer said, his eyes roaming over Youko's body, "Here, why don't you go on in and give him hell."

"Oh, I'll give him something all right," Youko smirked as he walked through the door the bouncer held open for him.

As soon as he entered through the door, Youko was hit by a wall of noise. Grimacing at the pain his hidden ears felt, Youko looked around disdainfully, searching for Shion. He found him in a corner booth with several male and female companions.

_:He's worse than I ever was:_ Youko thought as he made his way over to the table, only vaguely aware of the admiring looks he was getting from the crowd.

_:The only people he goes after at school are the females:_ Kurama said as he observed Shion, _:He always left the guys alone:_

_:Hmm:_ Youko responded as he sat on the table, gaining everyone's attention.

"I didn't realize that we had someone new here," Shion said as he looked over Youko's form with lust in his eyes, "Who invited you, doll, and how can I take you away from them?"  
"You invited me, Shion," he answered, pouting at the teenager, "Don't you remember?"  
"I definitely would've remembered you, beautiful," Shion said reaching forward to run his hand through the silver hair in front of him.

"Why don't you let me refresh your memory, then," Youko said, drawing the hand to his mouth to nibble on the fingers as his eyes promised many things, while really wanting to bite that hand for touching him.

"Seems like a good idea to me," Shion said, breathing a little faster, "You have a place in mind?"  
"Just follow me," Youko said, climbing off the table slowly, and walking to the back door that was next to the stage, looking back every few steps to make sure his prey was following.

Shion rose from his seat between two of the beauties that had kept him company before Youko had lured him away. He followed him across the dance floor and out the back door into the alley. Looking around he couldn't see the man until he found himself pinned to the wall in front of him. Guessing that his silver-haired temptation was the one who pinned him, he said over his shoulder, "You know, I rarely bottom."

"Trust me. You'll enjoy this," Youko whispered silkily in his ear as he brought both hands above his victim's head and held them together with one hand.

_:We are taking a very long shower when we get home:_ Youko thought as he reached into his hair for the first seed.

_:Agreed:_ Kurama answered as Youko placed the seed in his mouth, making sure to add a little of his ki to it. He then started nibbling and sucking on his victim's ear while managing to put the seed into his ear. Drawing back a little he started attacking his neck while sending more of his ki into the seed. Grimacing at the taste of his prey, Youko continued his ministrations until he felt the seed take effect. He took a step back as Shion fell to his knees against the wall and started whimpering. Curious, Youko made the Nightmare Seed project the images that were flowing through the human's mind.

What he saw made him raise an eyebrow and wonder why he would have the Makai in his nightmares. Youko saw the human boy stripped naked and in chains. Around him stood many different demons who were taunting and beating him. They were beating him with whips, cudgels and slicing him with different blades. The human had a multitude of bruises and cuts that were bleeding sluggishly. Then a demoness who looked eerily like Kagome came into view. Youko was surprised to see her and thought, _:What is Kagome doing in his nightmares? They just met yesterday.:_

_:It's probably because she is the only one who hasn't fallen for his tricks:_ Kurama answered, _:Therefore, he can't control that part of his life. His nightmare is about having no control over his life, Youko.:_

_:I guess you're right:_ Youko replied as he listened to what the nightmare-Kagome had to say.

"So you thought you could get away from me again, did you, my pet," she said silkily, "I would've thought that you would've learned by now that there is no escape. Or maybe you just like to be punished."

Shion shook his head rapidly, pleading with her for no more punishments as she walked around him running her claws gently across his skin, causing him to shiver.

"It seems that the reason you escaped from your little sell this time, was to find something. Tell me, did you finally learn it's location," she asked, as she shoved her claws into his stomach, making sure to miss his vital organs.

The human screamed and would've dropped to his knees if it hadn't been for the chains holding him up. She slowly withdrew her claws with a sadistic smile on her face, causing the human to scream once again.

"I have found it," Shion gasped out, his throat hoarse from his screaming, "And I**will ** have it."

This caused her to laugh and cradle his face in her bloodied hand. Tilting his head back she forced him to look at her as she said, "The only way you can get my jewel, pet, is to kill me. And you've tried that already with horrible results. Shall I remind you?"

Shion's eyes widened fearfully as he started whimpering and begging her not to.

Kurama pondered everything they had learned from the nightmare they had witnessed as Youko withdrew his ki from the Nightmare Seed. He gathered the teenager in his arms as he put another seed into his mouth. Nuzzling at the boy's neck, he made sure his actions projected an air of post-orgasmic bliss. When Shion was a little more aware of his surroundings, Youko kissed him deeply, sending the seed into the boy's mouth along with enough of his ki to start it growing.

"What happened," Shion asked groggily after Youko broke the kiss.

"You blacked out when you came. I had thought that you had gotten used to it, but apparently I was wrong," he said pouting a little.

"The only thing I remember is overwhelming pleasure," Shion said a moment before he winced as if he was in pain.

Youko, knowing the true reason behind the wince but pretending otherwise, asked with fake concern, "Are you alright, Shion?"

"Yeah. I must've pulled something during practice today," he said, trying to hide another wince.

"And here you let me do all those things to you," Youko said, sounding guilty, "Why don't I take you home and let you take it easy?"  
"I'd love to but if you came I know that I wouldn't be 'taking it easy'," Shion said, giving Youko a heated kiss that told him what he would be doing instead.

"Then I guess you're going home alone tonight," Youko said, faking the lust in his eyes, "I can come over some other time."

"I'll see you later, then," Shion said, limping slightly out of the alley and towards his home.

_:Not if I can help it:_ Youko thought as he leapt to the roof and started running home, _:Right now all I want is a very hot bath.:_

_:Yes. Even __**I**__ feel dirty and I didn't even touch the bastard:_ Kurama said as Youko enetered their room.

Chapter 10 – 5 pages


	11. Chapter 11

Hi, everyone! I have something that I would like to say. I would like to thank futilelives for catching a mistake that I had made in Chapter 3. This is why authors love reviews. We know our stories so well that by the time we write them we can often make a mistake. We also love to hear your opinions as well. Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks. Please enjoy this chapter.

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_:Mental Conversation:_

"Thank God it's friday," Kagome said, as she walked down the street with Keiko and the rest of the Spirit Detectives.

"Hey, Kags, are you doing anything this weekend," Yusuke asked from where he was walking behind her and Keiko.

"I was going to train, spend some time with Shippo and relax. Why," Kagome asked, turning around to face Yusuke while walking backwards.

"Since you're not that busy, why don't we come pick you up and take you somewhere," Yusuke said with his hands clasped behind his head.

"As long as I can take Shippo with me. I promised that we'd spend the day together tomorrow," Kagome said, turning around to walk normally.

"Sure. He can take his illusion off where we're going," Kurama answered, "I can start teaching him there."

"That'd be great. He's been wanting some training but all I've been able to do is teach hime fighting techniques," Kagome said, sending to Hiei, _:Thanks to you.:_

_:He'll need to know how to fight:_ Hiei answered with a mental shrug.

&

Kurama watched Kagome closely, ignoring the argument between Yusuke and Kuwabara, aware that she and Hiei were having a mental conversation.

'_This is the first I've seen Hiei talk with someone besides me mentally,'_ Kurama thought, _'I wonder what's been going on to change that.'_

_:It's Kagome:_ Youko answered, peering through Kurama's eyes at the teenager, _:She can heal any wound if given the time. **She is ** the Guardian of the Shikon Jewel, after all.:_

_:I just hope that she doesn't hurt him. Do you think that we should tell her about Takeya?:_

_:I hope he doesn't hurt her. If we tell Kagome, we'll have to tell her how we came up with this information and then Hiei will be mad at us. I think that we should just tell Hiei. He can decide on whether or not to tell her:_ Youko said as they cut through the park to get to Kagome's home quicker.

_'Something's wrong,'_ Kurama thought noticing that Kagome had tensed suddenly and started looking around and fingering her bracelet.

Looking around and stretching his senses out, Kurama couldn't find what set Kagome into her fighting mode. He was surprised, along with everyone else, when Kagome grabbed Keiko and Kuwabara and jumped backward with them in tow.

"What's that for, Kagome," Keiko asked as she and Kuwabara dusted themselves off and go up.

"There's a demon here and I believe that it is after me," Kagome said as she jumped and ducked to the right, away from the group, sending to Hiei, _:I could use some help here, Hiei. Nobody can see this demon except for me. Which is probably a good thing because this is one ass ugly demon.:_

_:I'm almost there:_ Hiei answered, sounding as if he was standing right next to her.

While Kagome's attention was on the invisible demon another demon appeared behind her as she dodged another attack. This new demon made a motion with the sword in his hand, making as if he would cut her in two. Before he was able to get the blade close to her and before her friends could warn her, the demon suddenly fell apart in many pieces. Kagome instantly turned around, to see what the splattering noise was from, forgetting, for a moment, about the demon she was currently keeping away from her friends. She instantly regretted it as she felt a fist slam into her back, sending her crashing into a tree and making the world go black.

&

Hiei was returning to the group after disposing of a low-level demon that had threatened Kagome. He kept a light mind-link open with Kagome, knowing that if she wanted to she could strengthen the link for words, instead of emotions, to come through. After a few minutes, he felt the link strengthen as he heard the conversation that was going on.

_:Thanks to you:_ he heard Kagome add on to her conversation about her son.

_:He'll need to know how to fight:_ he said with a mental shrug as he saw the group turn into the park to use as a shortcut. He followed along in the trees, keeping his senses open for any enemies in the area.

He suddenly felt Kagome tense and went on high alert, actively searching for whatever it was that made her tense, with his jagon. He still hadn't found it when he heard her say, _:I could use some help here, Hiei. Nobody can see this demon except for me. Which is probably a good thing because this is one ass ugly demon.:_

_:I'm almost there:_ he replied, jumping through the trees to where he sensed she was at.

It took him only a minute to reach her and what he saw when he got there mad his blook boil and his eyes turn red. He saw a demon come up behind Kagome, sword ready to cut her down. Moving quicker than he usually did, Hiei drew his sword and struck the demon 12 times before coming to a stop next to a tree near her. His anger grew as he saw the other demon punch her in the back sending her flying into the tree next to him.

_'She's right. This is one of the ugliest demons that I have ever seen,'_ Hiei thought, moving forward and cutting off the arm that dared to strike his Kagome.

&

Kurama and the others ran to where Kagome lay, dodging the arm that suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Shit! Where the hell did that come from," Yusuke yelled, picking up Keiko and carrying her around the arm and the other body parts that kept on appearing in front of them.

"This is why Kagome was jumping around so much," Kurama said, making his way to the girl, "Hiei is really mad for some reason, guys, so be careful when he finally stops."

As they finally came within a few feet of Kagome, they heard a yell and a thud as Hiei appeared next to Kagome, sword drawn against them and eyes blood red.

_'Oh, shit, Hiei is beyond pissed,'_ Kurama thought seeing his eyes and the way he stood over the girl protectively, his jagon glowing, "Do not make a move towards Kagome. In this state Hiei will strike you down as quickly as he did the other two demons."

"But we're his friends," Kuwabara said, baffled at his teammate's behavior.

"Right now, Kazuma, he has no friends. All he is concerned about right now is Kagome," Kurama said, frowning.

"Maybe I can help," Keiko said softly.

"And what could you possibly do," Yusuke said harshly.

"Just because I don't fight demons on a regular basis doesn't mean I'm totally helpless," she said, just as harshly.

"She just might be able to help," Kurama said, stopping the argument before it could start, "She's the only one he won't see as a threat to Kagome. Plus he sees her as Yusuke's mate so he won't attack her."

Keiko nodded and started walking forward slowly as Yusuke started sputtering at Kurama's last comment. He went silent as she neared Hiei. Everyone held their breath as Hiei sniffed the air but made no move towards the girl as she walked past him to Kagome. Hiei kept his eyes focused on the boys in front of him with his jagon still glowing as Keiko knelt beside the unconscious girl and started checking her for injuries.

&

Kagome was slowly waking up, knowing that there was something she needed to do, something that needed her attention. She became aware of the pain in her back with a frown and sent her ki into it, healing it in a matter of seconds. She had learned this little trick from Kikyo, before the battle with Naraku. She felt around for the mind-link she shared with Hiei and found anger and an undeniable need to protect. Knowing that such a combination was not a good thing for a demon to be feeling around humans, Kagome immediately sent soothing feelings through their link. This caused Hiei to sheath his sword and kneel next to her with concern and worry in his mind. Wanting to reassure him, Kagome opened her eyes and slowly sat up while sending reassurance through their link.

"Don't ever do that again," Hiei said somewhat harshly, to the surprise of their companions.

"I can't promise that, Hiei, you know that," she said apologetically, "I can promise to be more careful, though."

"Then do so," he said, helping her stand up and keeping an arm around her waist.

"Are you alright, Kagome," Kurama asked, making sure to stay far enough away from her so as not to rouse Hiei's protective instincts again.

"Yes, thank you," Kagome said, picking up her bookbag, "Seems like they've already started and it's not even been a week yet."

"That's why we're here, Kags," Yusuke said reassuringly.

"You're not doing a very good job if she's the one that has to save your asses," Hiei said, harshly, glaring at the teen.

"We can't help it if we couldn't see the damn thing," Yusuke shot back as they started walking through the park once more.

:_He has yet to let her go: _Youko noted, looking out through Kurama's eyes.

_:I know. It seems that Hiei has hound his mate. I wonder if he realizes it yet:_ Kurama responded.

_:More than likely. Knowing him, he's probably trying to keep it hidden from everyone.:_

_:He's not doing a very good job at it:_ Kurama said, noticing the looks Kuwabara and Yusuke were giving Hiei.

_:He'll come around, eventually:_ Youko said with a shrug, _:Otherwise he'll hurt her and his instincts are telling him not to.:_

_:I agree:_ Kurama siad, noticing that Kagome seemed to be getting angry about something.

_:Hiei's instincts are getting the better of him:_ Youko said, shaking his head, _:He's probably trying to tell her not to go anywhere tomorrow.:_

_:Not a good idea:_ Kurama said, also shaking his head.

_:He'll learn.:_

Chapter 11 – 4 pages


	12. Chapter 12

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

_:Mental Conversation:_

"Absolutely not, Hiei," Kagome said as she entered her room after leaving the spirit detectives at the bottom of the shrine steps, "I will not be afraid to live my life. I have faced much worse than this and survived. I'll be fine, Hiei."

"No," Hiei stated, his tone telling her that be expected her to agree with him.

"Look, Hiei," Kagome said, trying to reason with him, "You're going to be with me all day tomorrow, right? So I don't see what the problem is."

Hiei just looked at her for a moment before reaching for the bottom of her shirt and turning her around. Before Kagome could do anything she found herself face down on her bed with her shirt bunched around her armpits. Hiei straddled her waist making sure that she couldn't escape him as he examined her back. Once he was sure that she wasn't going to fight him, Hiei ran his hands softly over her back where there was only a slight bruise from where she had hit the tree. Kagome didn't say anything as she shivered from his gentle touch, understanding what was going through his mind. As he continued to touch her, she sent reassurance through their mind-link, hoping to ease some of the tension that was caused by his instincts.

Hiei eventually calmed down enough to move off her, though he didn't go very far. Kagome sat up, pulling her shirt down as she did so, and said, softly, "I understand what's going through your mind, Hiei. How do you think I felt every time one of my friends got hurt when they were fighting? But I understood that they couldn't stand by and let someone else fight in their place. I'm the same way, Hiei."

Hiei sat next to her, unconsciously rubbing her back as he thought about what she said. A few minutes later, he sighed and said, "I don't like it, Kagome. Every instinct I have tells me to keep you out of danger until this threat to you has been taken care of. But," he said, stopping her protests, "I also know that you are not the kind of person that will accept that. So, as long as I can see you, I think that I can handle my instincts."

"Thank you, Hiei," Kagome said, hugging him excitedly, "I promise to **try** and not get into trouble tomorrow."

"Good. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Why," Kagome asked, slightly confused.

"Because you apparently need more training," he said, with an evil glint in his eye as he picked her up and ran out of her window to their clearing.

&

A couple of hours later, after eating dinner, Kagome stumbled into her room with Hiei just behind her. She tiredly changed into her favorite pair of pajamas and fell onto her bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Hiei pulled the covers over her and sat on the windowsill. He watched as she snuggled into the covers with a sigh and smiled softly. Curious as to what she could be dreaming about after the day that she had, Hiei sat next to her on the bed and opened his jagon as he entered her dreams.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a field of flowers. Looking around he saw Kagome laughing and running through the flowers as if she was a little girl again. Smiling softly at the sight, Hiei stood to the side and watched her. He was surprised when she suddenly turned toward him and waved him over to her. Smirking a little, Hiei crossed the field and stopped in front of her. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "Yes?"  
"Come play with me," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the forest that had appeared at the edge of her field.

"And what game shall we play," Hiei asked, his mind conjuring up images of how he would 'play' with her and feeling playful himself.

"Tag," Kagome said, letting go of his hand and running away from him, "And you're it."

Smiling at the sight she made as she ran away from him, Hiei waited a moment before going into the trees after her. He followed at a much slower pace, wanting this game to last a while.

_:Bet you can't catch me:_ Hiei heard in his mind.

_:How much do you want to bet that I can:_ he sent back.

_:Anything you want to do while we're here:_ came the answer.

_:Agreed:_ he sent back, smirking as he thought about the image he had had a few minutes before.

He opened his mind-link and searched for her. He soon found her energy signature and found her hiding in a grotto. As he entered he noticed that there was a smallish waterfall that fed into a spring that had smooth stones around the edge that were perfect for sunbathing. He looked around the grotto unable to find the tempting woman. Frowning, he turned to leave when he heard a small giggle. Keeping his back to the sound, he smirked and said, "I could've sworn that Kagome was here. Oh, well, I guess I was wrong."

As he stood there talking to himself, he felt Kagome coming up, sneakily, behind him. Waiting until the last possible moment, he turned around and grabbed her, saying, "Gotcha!"

Kagome laughed as she half-heartedly struggled to get out of the gentle grip. After a few more minutes of struggling, which had them rubbing up against each other, they ended up on the forest floor with Hiei straddling her waist and holding her wrists above her head.

Smirking slightly at the demon above her, Kagome asked, "Now that you've caught me, Hiei, what are you going to do with me?"

Hiei just smirked at her as he leaned into her, angling his head, and kissed her gently. The fisrst brush of their lips was a gentle exploration that did nothing to sate Hiei's hunger. Instead it only heightened it, making him want to get even more of her taste. Their next kiss was more demanding oas Hiei's tongue explored her mouth. As their kisses grew more passionate than the previous, Hiei let his hands roam. They ended up on Kagome's breasts, where he started to knead them through her shirt, causing her to moan into their kiss and arch into him.

Wanting to feel her skin, he slid his hands to her waist and up under her shirt. His breath rushed out of him all at once when he found that her breasts where unbound under her shirt. He broke their kiss suddenly and dragged her shirt over her head. The desire in his eyes grew as he stared at her naked chest. He watched his hands knead each breast before bending down to lick the right nipple. This caused Kagome to gasp and slide her hands through his hair and arch toward his mouth, wanting to feel more of his mouth on her breast. Hiei smirked and obliged her guiding hands and covered her pert nipple with his mouth, while his other hand rolled and pinched the other one.

Hiei settled more firmly on Kagome, bringing one thigh to rest between her legs, right at her center, allowing his thigh to rub against her. He could smell her arousal grow as he contined to play with her breasts, switching sides as she continued to rub herself against his thigh.

Wanting to see more of her skin, Hiei sat back and dragged his hands down her sides to rest on the waist band of the pants she was wearing. At her nod and lift of her hips, Hiei drew them down along with her underwear. Once they were off and thrown to the side, Hiei stared at her with wonder and desire growing in his eyes. He drew a shaky hand down her thigh, watching the way she arched into his touch. He could smell her arousal even more and noticed the way her breathing seemed to come in gasps and pants. Suddenly wanting to taste her, Hiei leaned down, settling himself, still fully clothed, between her thighs and brought his nose to her center, where her arousal was the strongest.

As he drew in her scent, he felt a slight tug on his mind but ignored it for the moment. As he brought his mouth closer to her womanhood, he suddenly found himself back in Kagome's room with a raging erection and his communicator going off.

Opening the device, he growled at the speaker, "What?"

"Jeez, someone's in a bad mood," Botan said on the other end, used to his snarling, "Koenma wants to see you. Kurama should be there shortly to take over for you. When he gets there let me know and I'll make a portal for you."

A few minutes later, Hiei met Kurama at the shrine steps, still in a foul mood. Glaring at the fox, he said, "Nothing better happen to her."

"I promise that nothing will happen to her, Hiei," Kurama said, seriously.

"Good. Her window's open," he said before going through theportal that appeared behind Kurama.

_'He's even worse than usual,'_ Kurama observed as he climbed the tree and entered Kagome's room, _'I wonder what happened?'_

_:Judging by the scents I would say incompletion.:_

_:What?:_

_:I think Hiei entered Kagome's dreams and they started having some 'fun'. I guess Botan interrupted them:_ Youko said.

_:Ah. I guess we'll have to teach her better:_ Kurama replied with a smirk.

_:Yes, we will:_ came the smirking reply.

Chapter 12 – 3 pages


End file.
